Shadows of Orre
by Mehicus
Summary: This fic follows the travels of Deion, a 21 year old former trainer in his journey of survival through the apocalyptic region of Orre.     This fic takes place 10 years after the events of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness.
1. Chapter 1

Shadows of Orre

Dusk was fast approaching. The sun having slipped over the horizon only minutes earlier.

"Shit." Deion mumbled from beneath his bandanna-clad face as he surveyed the twilighted desert in front of him.

He knew he would need to find some kind of shelter soon. Traveling the wastes at night was a very good way to get oneself killed, or worse. The desert was quiet and deathly still, the last of the daylight slowly slipping away.

Reaching into his duster, he pulled out a handheld device which had clearly seen better days. The device's large screen was cracked in one corner, its red paint faded and worn from years of abuse. Barely visible was the word NAV written at the top in worn white letters. He touched the screen and the device jumped to life displaying a digital map.

Placing his goggles on his head, Deion looked over the map. He was soon interrupted by a symbol of a battery with a lightning bolt in its center flashing in the middle of the screen. He frowned as the devices display winked out leaving him staring at a black screen.

"Just perfect." Deion cursed as he let out a long sigh.

At least he had been able to get his bearings. Pyrite should be no farther than a thirty minute walk from where he was. He put the NAV back in his dusters pocket, replaced his goggles over his eyes and continued walking.

It was dark by the time he reached the ruined outskirts of Pyrite. The only light emanating from the pale glow of the full moon overhead. The town had long since been abandoned. Broken glass and discarded metal littered the streets. Deion took care not to step on anything as he quietly made his way along the sides of the ruined buildings, fearing one misplaced step might alert someone or something just out of his limited line of sight.

After ten minutes of shadow hopping and careful movement, a particular building caught his attention. If it hadn't been for the light of the moon faintly reflecting off the letters 'M', 'R' and 'T', hanging just above the buildings front door, he would have most likely not taken a second glance at it. A faint smile started to creep across Deion's shadow clad face as he realized this could very well be the break he had been hoping for.

Days of wandering the wastes had left him quite low on supplies and the possibility of being able to remedy that problem was enough to make him almost excited. He allowed himself another second before refocusing on his task at hand. The building was on the opposite side of the street, meaning that he would need to cross out in the open in order to get to it.

Steeling himself, Deion pushed off the wall behind him and broke into a full sprint across the desolate street, eventually sliding into an alley beside his target building. He quickly propped himself up against one of its outer walls, trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

He took a second to catch his breath and then ever so slowly peeked his head around the side of the building. He wanted to make sure that his sudden movement hadn't attracted any unwanted attention. Once he was satisfied nothing saw him, he began to carefully make his way towards the door.

The front of the building was in a state of incredible disrepair. Parts of the metal sidings had rusted and fallen off, leaving large gashes in the buildings otherwise straight form; the door didn't seem to have been spared any abuse either. It was rusted and worn; a small pile of sand rested up against its base, most likely from one of the regions many sandstorms.

Deion grabbed the doors exterior handles and pulled sideways, slowly creating an opening. Placing his goggles firmly on his head he pulled out a flashlight and stepped inside. The stale air of the building assaulted his nostrils. The inside of the store had clearly seen better days. The floor was littered with broken goods and trash, mostly from knocked over shelves and displays.

Deion slowly walked towards the back of the store, his boots crunching with every step he took. As the darkness further engulfed him, he found himself instinctively hovering his hand over the hilt of his knife, not wanting to be caught off guard and undefended.

Once he was convinced that the store was empty and he was alone he allowed himself to lower his guard and focus on the task of setting up camp for the night. He brushed off the debris on the sales counter and removed his pack, setting it down with a muffled thump. He let out a quiet sigh of relief as he rubbed his neck, happy that the weight of the pack was no longer digging into his shoulders.

He fished around in the back briefly before retrieving an electric lantern. He set it on the counter and turned it on. Yellow light filled the room, obliterating the previously looming darkness. Deion took a moment and decided to take a more detailed look at the interior of the store. At what he saw he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Jackpot." Deion said out loud, still smiling at the several shelves of undamaged goods.

"Zam's gonna love this." He continued as he reached into his duster, retrieving a red and white pokeball moments later.

Without saying another word he opened the ball in his hand and proceeded to watch as his best friend materialized in front of him. The Alakazam did a quick stretch before turning around and giving him an acknowledging nod.

"Look what we found, Zam!" Deion responded excitedly, all the while giving his pokemon a warm smile. "There's bound to be stuff we can use in here!"

At first the Alakazam simply stood in front of him, unmoving. His eyes staring into Deion's.

'_Then we should get to work._'

The words echoed inside his head as the Alakazam communicated with him telepathically. The tired trainer gave his partner another warm smile and a pat on the shoulder.

"I missed hearing your voice, Zam." Deion said as he turned his attention back towards his pack.

The pokemon remained silent, but he knew that he felt the same.

"Do you mind taking a look around while I set up for the night?' Deion asked without turning around, "I'll join you when I'm done."

Zam gave him a telepathic nod and proceeded to search the stores shelves. After ten minutes later the night's sleeping arrangements had been prepared and Deion moved on to assisting his pokemon in collecting supplies. Zam had already gone through most of the shelves, using his telekinesis to separate the potentially useful items.

Deion watched as a box of potions floated silently overhead and landed neatly beside his pack. It seemed that Alakazam had been quite successful in his search. A few boxes of potions, a pack of full heals, a small container of smelling salts, some protein powder and - as Deion's heart almost skipped a beat - water.

He could feel himself almost getting teary eyed as he looked at the three squeeze bottles full of distilled water.

'_I thought you might be glad to see those._' Zam's soothing words again echoing through his mind.

Deion turned to face to his pokemon, who was now standing just beside him.

'_Just don't forget to share._' The Alakazam continued, holding out a fourth bottle for the trainer.

The two continued to comb over the remnants of the rundown store, stopping only once until they were sure there was nothing left to find. Before then they had been able to find a still sealed container of assorted poffins along with an unspoiled bag of dry pokemon food. It was only after they found the poffins that Deion had realized just how hungry he had become.

He had been rationing his supplies to the point where he hadn't eaten in a day and a half, and even though the food was designed for pokemon he was still hungry.

"I think it's about time for some dinner." Deion declared, grabbing a discarded box and setting it up as a makeshift table on the floor.

'_Will anyone else be joining us?_' His pokemon asked.

"Yes." Deion replied as he took two small metal bowls out of his pack.

He placed the two bowls on the box and retrieved another pokeball from his belt. He fiddled around with it in his hand before finally opening it.

"Alright," he began to say, "come on out Jolteon. It's your turn to eat tonight."

The words sounded sour and hollow to as they left his throat. It had been almost a week since he had last been able to feed Jolteon. Thankfully due to the technology at work in the pokeball, his Jolteon materialized and looked almost no worse for wear. He felt guilty that he couldn't feed all his pokemon at once, instead having to rotate them every few days.

He knelt down and gave his companion a quick pet before proceeding to fill up the bowls with food and water.

"Eat up Jolteon," Deion said, "I'm going to need your help in a bit."

The spiked pokemon responded with a quick 'Jolt! Jolt!' before stuffing its snout in the food provided.

"Well then," Deion said as he looked over at Zam who was half floating, half leaning against the wall opposite him. "Let's eat."

The poffins were surprisingly tasty considering how old they must have been. That and they were designed to accommodate the palate of pokemon, not humans. Deion made sure to savour every minute of them, knowing full well that he would most likely not be able to eat anything with a decent flavour again for quite a while.

The dinner passed in relative silence. The only real sounds coming from Jolteon as it crunched the dry food. Deion, having finally taken off his duster, goggles and bandannas, was once again back in his pack and searching. The dead NAV had been relocated from the dusters pocket to the top of the makeshift table and was soon accompanied by a palm sized battery charger.

He plugged one of the chargers adapters into the NAV and then unfolded a small metal antenna on the charger itself. Once he was satisfied that the connection was solid, he took the charger and placed it in front of Jolteon, who was now lying next to the box-table.

"Ok Jolteon, I need you to charge this for me." Deion requested.

The Jolteon shuffled itself so that its nose was almost touching the chargers antenna. Small bolts of electricity started to arc themselves from the tip of the Jolteon's nose to the charger.

"Thanks girl." Deion said, giving his pokemon a loving pat on its side. He turned his attention to Alakazam.

"How are you doing?" He asked. "You get enough to eat?"

'_I am fine._' The psychic type responded telepathically, '_On both accounts._'

The Alakazam straightened its posture and looked directly at Deion.

'_You on the other hand, are not._'

"Oh?" Deion looked at the pokemon quizzically.

'_I don't need to read your mind to tell that you are exhausted._'

Zam was right, he was exhausted. Deion couldn't help but think about how wonderful it would be to just be able to sleep for an entire day. He let the daydream continue before Zam interrupted him.

'_It appears I was correct._' The pokemon's words almost mocking in his mind.

"You know Zam," Deion began to say, "Sometimes I really wish you wouldn't read my mind."

'_I could not agree more._'

Deion shook his head and let out a small chuckle.

"Alright, fine." He said, throwing up his arms in a sigh of defeat. "But you wake me if anything happens alright?" He glanced over at his Alakazam who just continued to stare at him. "Alright." Deion said again, taking the pokemon's silence as a response.

He could feel his eyelids drooping as walked over towards his bed for the night. He wasn't sure if it was just pure fatigue or maybe if Zam was giving his exhaustion a helping hand, because as soon as his head hit the pillow he was gone. Unfortunately the restful sleep he had been daydreaming about did not take him. Instead terrible nightmares plagued him. Previous memories twisted into a hellish slideshow that he was forced to watch, unable to escape.

He was on the observation deck of a ferry. He remembered it as the same ferry he had taken passage on to return to Orre. There were people around him. Families. Individuals. Children. All going about their business completely unaware of him. It then hit Deion that something was off. The sights, the sounds, they all seemed familiar. It was almost like he had seen this – he stopped mid thought. A wave of pure terror washed over him. He knew what was going on, he KNEW exactly what was about to happen.

Deion started to panic, running out into the middle of the crowded deck. He needed to warn them. He tried to grab a young girl who was standing beside him, to tell her to run, but his hand just passed right through her shoulder. Still panicking he tried again, yielding the same result. Determined not to give up he tried yelling, but no sound escaped his lips.

Then he saw it, the brightest light he had ever seen emanating directly from the center of Port Gateon. He tried to shield his eyes to but to no avail. Deion tensed up, waiting for the impending shock wave. But it never came. Confused, he lowered his arm from his face, daring a peek. The crowd of people on the deck was now standing in a semi circle directly in front of him, staring. Well perhaps staring was the wrong word, seeing as how they all now lacked eyes.

Deion was now paralyzed in place, only able to move his eyes. He started to tense up as the little girl from earlier pushed her way to the front of the crowd and began to walk towards him. She started to laugh, her voice twisted and demonic. When she was half way to Deion she stopped.

"Ashes to ashes." She simply said before everything around him burst into flames.

The people started to scream, their flesh melting and falling to the deck. Deion closed his eyes and tried his best to block out the screams, tears running down his face. The girl continued her demonic laugh until suddenly the screams stopped. They were instead replaced by a calming presence. When he finally opened his eyes he was no longer on the ferry, but standing in a black room filled with stars. Before he could get his bearings he heard a familiar voice.

'_Master, you need to wake up._'

It was Zam. Deion was just about to ask what was going on when he heard the simple, chilling words.

'_We have company._'


	2. Chapter 2

Deion awoke with a jolt, causing him to sit up so fast it made his head spin. His heart was still pounding furiously in his chest. Screams from the nightmare continued to echo in the back of his mind. He was still tired, figuring he only got a few hours of sleep, not nearly enough. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. The electric lantern had now been lowered to a dim glow, giving off just enough light for Deion to see.

Jolteon had curled up and was now asleep next to the box-table, while Zam was floating, legs crossed and eyes closed, in a corner just across from where he had been sleeping. Deion also noticed that Zam had also donned his personal beige hooded cloak which he used for meditation. Once the disorientation of the quick awakening had worn off, Deion was left with a sense of dread. What had Zam meant by they had company? Pyrite was supposed to be abandoned. He didn't have to wait long before hearing the pokemons familiar voice again in his head.

'_I apologize for waking you so quickly.'_ The Alakazam's flat voice began. '_But there are three men approaching._'

'Shit.' Deion thought, now standing and replacing his previously discarded duster and headgear. He turned to face his Alakazam who was also standing.

"What can you tell me about their intentions?" Deion asked aloud. Fearing he already knew.

'_Not honourable_.' The pokemon replied.

He sighed. "They never are..." Deion muttered to himself while reattaching his knife to his belt, placing it just in front of Alakazam's pokeball. "Anything else you can tell me?"

'_Only that they are right outside and seem to becoming increasingly curious about a set of footprints._'

A chill ran down his spine. They needed to leave, and soon. Jolteon, who had sensed the commotion caused by Deion, was now awake. It started to emit a low growl in the general direction of the stores front door, the spikes on its back now erect, each one coming together into a razor sharp point.

"We need to leave." Deion said, quickly pulling out Jolteon's pokeball and returning the still growling beast. He was about to do the same to Alakazam when the electric lantern suddenly winked out, leaving the room consumed once again by darkness.

'_I believe it is too late for that._' The Alakazam transmitted to him, its eyes glowing a deep blue.

No more than five seconds later, Deion heard the metal front door begin to slide open. Immediately he slid over the sales counter and scurried behind a row of shelves. Propping himself up, he slowly began to unsheathe his knife, gripping it firmly with his palm. He could hear footsteps now slowly crunching the debris that littered the floor. Deion's breath shallowed as the intruder drew ever closer. He needed to see what he was up against.

'Zam, I know you're listening.' Deion began to say in his mind. 'I need to see what you see.'

No sooner had his thought ended then Deion was able to see in a whole new perspective. Perhaps see was the wrong word since he still couldn't physically see anything. More like perceive. He knew exactly where the approaching man was. He could feel every movement, hear every breath. Zam was transmitting what he could gleam about the intruders positioning to Deion from what he was able to read in the man's mind. Several tense moments passed, eventually the man was standing almost right next to him. He tightened his grip on the knife, getting ready to strike.

Deion heard the man let out what seemed like an annoyed sigh along with a few choice curse words before turning around and starting to head back to the front of the store. An immense feeling of relief washed over him. It was short lived however, as what Deion would consider to be in the worst possible timing, his NAV became fully charged. The small handheld device, still resting atop the makeshift table, proceeded to beep twice followed by short flashes by a small green LED on the devices side.

The formally leaving man immediately turned around. Deion's previously relaxing body tensed up again, even more so when he heard the tell tale sound of a pistol being cocked. To say he was scared was an understatement as he had to now consciously remind himself to breath. The man walked over to Deion's NAV and picked it up.

"Nice little gadget you got here!" The man said turning on the NAV and examining it. "I wonder if you have any more?"

Deion was now able to see the intruder in the light of the activated screen. He wore an extremely torn leather jacket, his face was dirty and scared. Around his neck he wore a necklace of, what he could guess, fingers. The man was a bandit, an outlaw. The kind that would steal everything you owned and then murder you for entertainment. Deion had run across many bandit and outlaw gangs in his recent travels. Always being able to avoid them, until now.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" The man taunted. "I only want to kill you and steal all your possessions!"

Deion knew it was either fight or flight, but seeing as there were still two more of them just outside, the flight option had all but gone out the window. Besides, Zam was still in here, feeding him the man's location. Deion readied himself, slowly standing up.

The bandit had his back turned to him, a weakness he wouldn't even think twice about exploiting. Deion ran at him, tackling the unsuspecting man from behind, causing him to fire off a shot from his pistol before hitting the ground. Now on top of him, Deion proceeded to bring his knife down on the raiders exposed neck. Stabbing him three times in quick succession, twisting the knife as it entered the third time resulting in a satisfying 'CRACK'.

As he retrieved his knife, he noticed that the man was not quite dead yet, even though he was gushing blood from the newly inflicted wound. He also appeared to be paralyzed, if it wasn't for the bandit's eyes staring up at him and the occasional blink he would have mistaken him for dead. 'Good' Deion thought, still feeling the effects of his adrenaline rush.

"Now you listen to me." He began to say, picking his NAV up off the ground and swiftly pocketing it. "Nobody steals my shit. Nobody. That includes you."

The man just continued to stare up at him, Deion could see the fear in his eyes. He wiped his knife off on the back of the raider's jacket and re-sheathed it. Before standing up he noticed that the gun the raider had been carrying was still loosely in his hand. Leaning over he began to pry the dying man's fingers off the grip and trigger.

"I am going to take your gun though." Deion said quite nonchalantly, retrieving the pistol and slowly standing up. "Since you won't be needing it anymore."

He stepped over the man and walked back to the sales counter. He held the gun up in his hand, looking it over in what little light was available in the store. He pulled the slide back and released it, watching as it slid back forward. He was so entranced with his new toy that he didn't even notice his Alakazam step out of the shadows beside him, still shrouded in his cloak. It didn't take long for the novelty of the gun to be broken by shouts from just outside the store. Deion snapped back into reality, he had never used a gun before, let alone held one. He would have to figure it out later. Sticking it in his belt, he turned to face the door. The shouting was getting louder and more frequent.

'_How do you plan to proceed?_' Zam's telepathic presence once again asked.

"We fight them." Deion replied. "But not here. We need to get outside. Take them by surprise."

'_How will we accomplish that?_' Zam asked again even though Deion was convinced he already knew.

"Like this." Deion smiled and reached into his duster pulling out another pokeball. He threw the ball down in an open area of the store, watching as the pokemon it contained was released with a flash of light.

"Alright Graveler! Rollout through that door!" Deion commanded.

The giant rock pokemon let out a roar before curling into a ball and launching itself at the stores front wall. There was a mighty crash as the wall buckled and broke from the force of the impact. Graveler launched itself into the street, nearly flattening one of the shouting bandits.

Deion, with Alakazam in tow, ran out of the new hole in the store wall. He could see that dawn was approaching as small amounts of light could see seen on the horizon. Still running, Deion drew his new gun and squeezed off two shots at the nearest bandit. Both shots went horribly wide, but was enough to get the outlaws attention. The man drew his own pistol and proceeded to aim at Deion.

"Reflect!" Deion shouted, diving back to where Zam was as the outlaw opened fire.

The psychic pokemon stuck its hands out creating a barrier in front of itself as it ran to cover its master, reaching him just in time. The incoming bullets bounced harmlessly off the Alakazam's mental shield, causing the raiders jaw to drop. On the other side of the street, Deion's Graveler had finished its rollout and was now proceeding to uncurl and stand up.

The second bandit was fixated on the stone creature, standing no further than a few arms lengths away. Not knowing what to do when he came face to face with the massive Graveler, the small man grabbed his pistol and took a single shot. The shot hit Graveler and caused a small piece of its rock hide to fall off. The Graveler, now more angry than hurt, let out another deafening roar. The lone bandit, now unsure what to do, decided to take another shot at the pokemon in front of him.

The man simply continued to stand in one place, almost as if he was too terrified to move. When Deion noticed his pokemon's predicament he issued the simple command, 'Get him!' which was all the Graveler needed. The terrified bandit, now coming to his senses, decided that it might be in his best interest to turn and run. He didn't make it very far. As soon as he turned, the Graveler grabbed him by the back of the head, lifting him up off the ground with relative ease. In one fluid motion the rock pokemon reeled the flailing man back and proceeded to bring its arm forward and down, crushing the his head against the concrete below.

Deion watched in awe as his pokemon let out another series of roars as it continued to smash the mans already crushed skull against the ground. He was so caught up in watching the brutal actions of his Graveler that he didn't notice the bandit that he previously shot at had now reloaded his pistol, and was taking aim at him with a smile on his face.

The reflect barrier was gone, Zam had only being able to hold it for a few seconds. There was now nothing in place to protect them from another salvo. Suddenly the bandits smile faded, instead replaced by an expression of confusion. His hand started to tremble, causing the gun to fall to the ground.

The man then fell to his knees, the expression on his face now twisted into one of pain. Blood started to trickle from his nose, and then from his ears followed up by the corners of his eyes and mouth. Deion looked around, trying to find who was responsible. What he found was Zam standing perfectly still just off to the side of him. His pokemon had one arm outstretched, eyes glowing the same deep blue that they had earlier in the night, just staring at the outlaw in front of him. He returned his gaze to the bandit, who now had blood gushing from his face.

Deion almost couldn't watch, he remembered thinking how the man was still alive. The bandit attempted to scream, but all that came out was a gurgling noise as he chocked on his own blood. Eventually he went limp and just collapsed, blood pooling around his head. Deion looked back over at Zam who was replacing his hood back on the top of his head.

"Thank you," he said to his Alakazam.

At first, Zam didn't respond. He just continued to stare at the dead bandit A few silent moments pass before he finally heard his friend.

'_You are welcome._'


	3. Chapter 3

Deion felt quite good all things considered. Whether it was a combination of the adrenaline now surging through his veins or the excitement of the firefight, he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he was still alive, and that was enough. He stood up and placed his handgun back in his belt before looking once again down again at the dead bandit.

The pool of blood surrounding his head was still spreading. Deion tried not to think about what Zam might have done to cause it. Instead he turned to face his friend. Zam was still standing in the same spot, the only difference being that his cloaks hood had been replaced, preventing Deion from seeing the pokemon's face.

He was about to ask if the Alakazam was alright when he was interrupted mid thought by a loud crash. Turning quickly he saw that his Graveler had thrown the raider it had been pulverizing into the side of a building. Letting out another roar the living boulder started to walk towards the crumpled body.

"Graveler that's enough, you got him!" Deion yelled bringing out the pokemon's ball.

His pokemon continued to let out a growl, obviously still itching for a fight. Sighing Deion returned Graveler to its ball.

'_We should leave._' The Alakazam's words creeping in he back of his mind.

Deion couldn't agree more.

The midday sun was now out in full force. Deion took another swig from his canteen, relishing the feeling as the slightly warm liquid slid down his throat. Lowering the canteen, he once again found himself staring out at the barren desert that lay just ahead. He was still mulling over the events of the previous night in Pyrite, not sure what to make of it all. To add to it, Zam hadn't said a word since leaving earlier that morning.

The pokemon insisted that he walk with Deion in order to prevent any more 'unfortunate encounters'. He appreciated the sentiment as much as he appreciated the company. It was nice to have Zam with him. Sometimes Deion would walk by himself for days at a time, never really noticing how alone he truly was. Pocketing his canteen, he turned to look over at his friend. He couldn't help but smile. A quiet friend was better than no friend. Turning east once more, he continued walking.

It was hard to believe that what used to be Orre's premier pokemon battling establishment was now literally laying in front of him. It had been quite some time since Deion had been to Realgam Tower. It was not quite the same giant ivory spear that he remembered. Instead the only the towers base remained standing. The other supports having buckled and broken causing the massive colosseum that used to be at the top to find a new home strewn across the desert floor below. Regardless of the state of the tower before him, Deion couldn't help but think back to the first time he had stepped foot in its massive halls.

He must have been no more than six years old. His father had taken him and his family to see the towers grand opening festivities. A promise of epic battles between Orre's top pokemon trainers along with a "special surprise" that they wouldn't want to miss. Deion had never been so excited in his entire life. The chance to see real live pokemon battles in the newest and more expensive colosseum in the region was almost more than his young mind could ever dream of.

The atmosphere was absolutely electric. The whoops of the crowd only getting louder as a voice came over the loud speakers announcing that the first battle was about to begin. Deion watched as an elevated tube rose from the colosseum floor. A young man wearing a long blue jacket, followed closely by a girl with red hair, emerged moments later. Eventually another trainer joined them and the battle commenced.

Deion remembered the feeling the excitement growing inside of him as the trainer with the blue jacket knocked out pokemon after pokemon, eliminating trainer after trainer. The young boy was now utterly convinced that the unstoppable trainer was a Pokemon Master. Eventually it was all over. No more trainers were emerging to face the master.

The young Deion was transfixed on him, wondering how he had become so powerful even though he was still so young. His gaze was only broken when he heard the sound of flapping wings followed by a loud bang. He looked up to see a massive rainbow coloured bird flying majestically overhead. It was right then and there, awestruck by the legendary bird, that Deion knew what he wanted to be. He wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer.

The feeling of nostalgia faded as Deion snapped back to reality. They had been walking for almost five days now. Zam still insisted that he stay and keep walking with him. Deion didn't argue but was starting to feel slight concern for his silent companion.

"Let's see if we can find a place to hole up for the night." He said to Zam, motioning at the tower ruins. "I'm tired of camping in the desert."

The cloaked figure merely nodded in acknowledgment. Deion smiled and began to walk towards the broken tower. Ten minutes later they were both standing beneath the former towers base. The somewhat rounded structure still loomed over them despite it only being a fraction of the size of the whole tower in its former glory. Deion and Zam moved in and out of the colosseums shattered debris, attempting to find some kind of an entrance. It wasn't long before Deion came across a hole in the side of the main structure just large enough for them to fit in.

"Hey Zam! I found an entrance!" Deion yelled while attempting to peer inside the low light interior. "Let's get inside and scope it out!"

He waited for a response, but none came. Not even a telepathic twitch from his partner.

"Zam?" Deion said turning around to see the Alakazam just standing there. A slow sinking feeling started to come over him. "Zam, what's wrong?" He asked, hoping that his pokemon would respond to the question.

A few tense seconds passed before Zam replied.

'_There is someone else here._' The pokemon said cryptically. '_Approaching quickly._'

Deion immediately started to scan the area, sticking his hand inside his jacket so that his fingertips were resting over the grip of his gun. He began to quietly panic. The bandits must have followed them from Pyrite, intent on revenge for their murdered comrades. They need to leave, or at least hide. He began to hurriedly walk towards Zam, eyes still darting. Deion was no more than a few steps away from his pokemon when he heard someone shout from behind him followed by the sound of a cocking gun.

"Freeze!" The voice yelled. "Don't you fucking move!"

Deion did what the voice said and froze mid stride. His fingers started to tighten around his weapon, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to turn around in time to shoot. A feeling of dread slowly washed over him. This was it. This was where he died. He remembered the saying that a person's entire life flashed before their eyes the instant before facing death. He figured he was about to find out if that was true.

'_I don't believe he means to harm us._' His pokemon said quickly, interrupting Deion mid thought. '_I feel a great amount of fear coming from him._'

'Fear?' Deion thought, starting to get the feeling that his captor might not be what he thought he was.

"Now put your hands up and turn around!" The voice yelled again.

Deion noticed that the voice was not as deep as he was expecting an outlaws to be and it seemed to be emanating from somewhere above the ground. Regardless, he again did what the voice said and slowly raised his hands, reluctantly pulling his hand off the gun in his belt. Turning around his suspicions were confirmed. It was just a kid, probably no older than fifteen. He was standing just above them on a broken catwalk jutting from a piece of the colosseum tower debris. In his hands he held a rifle with a small scope on it, sights aimed squarely at Deion's chest.

_'How would you like to proceed?_' Zam asked after giving Deion a chance to process the situation.

"I said hands up!" The kid yelled again. "That means you too Mr. Hood!"

The Alakazam slowly started to raise its hands, causing the sleeves of his cloak to fall revealing his yellow and brown arms. The kid seemed shocked as he realized that the man in the hooded cloak was in fact not a man at all. Deion decided to use this temporary distraction to issue a single command.

'I want you to take his gun.' Deion repeated in his mind.

In the corner of his eye Deion saw his Alakazam's arms halt mid rise and suddenly lurch forward. The next thing he knew the kids rifle had ripped itself from his hands. The floating gun quickly did a one-eighty and was now pointing itself directly at its former owner's forehead. The kid, now grasping what had just happened, quickly attempted to back up, eventually hitting the railing behind him. He stood frozen, the look on his face a mixture of fear and pure terror. Deion mentally congratulated Zam before turning his attention back to the terrified kid.

"We don't want to hurt you!" Deion said aloud. "We were just trying to find a place to stay for the night and we didn't realize anyone was already living here!"

He paused, giving the kid an opportunity to speak while he thought up what to say next. The kid remained silent and unmoving.

"I'm going to have my friend here put down your gun," Deion continued to say. "And then we are going to walk away! We don't want any trouble!"

'_Are you sure that is such a good idea?_' The Alakazam's question running through his mind.

'No,' Deion answered, his racing with what ifs, 'but it's a sign of faith. Just be ready to reflect.'

He nodded to Zam. The psychic gave him what seemed to be a telepathic sigh before slowly lowering the gun, placing it on the metal catwalk in front of the petrified boy. Deion waited to see if the kid would make the first move. Once he was sure the kid wasn't going to do anything, he turned and began to briskly walk away. He had taken probably no more than ten steps before he heard the kid shout at him again. This time in a more humble tone.

"Mister!" The kid yelled again. "I'm sorry!"

Deion stopped and pivoted on his back foot, turning to face the boy who had now picked up his rifle and was in the process of jumping off the suspended catwalk. He gave Zam a slight heads up, making sure the pokemon was prepared in case the kid decided that he wanted to give Deion a 'parting gift'.

"I'm sorry." The kid said again, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. His head seemingly hung in shame.

"I guess you're not used to having company?" Deion said, making it sound more like a statement then a question.

"Yeah..." The kid's voice seemed to trail off. "The last ones weren't exactly very friendly."

"I know what you mean." Deion muttered, pushing the memory of the man he had stabbed to death out of his mind.

A quiet minute passed between the both of them, neither really knowing what to say. Deion was just about the turn and leave when the young boy piped up again.

"So... you still need a place to stay for the night?" The boy's words were awkward, obviously not quite sure if the idea which had just escaped his mouth was a good one.

"Well" Deion started to reply.

"Because I have some extra room at my place if you're still interested..." His voice trailing off again.

Deion mulled it over. One the one hand he really did want a roof over his head for the night, but on the other this kid had held him up at gunpoint. It was a misunderstanding granted, but a misunderstanding that could have cost him his life. He decided to test the waters.

"How do I know you won't try to kill me in my sleep?" Deion asked. The question wasn't exactly as tactful as he would have liked, but at least he would be able to gauge the kid's expression.

"Umm...Well..." The boy stuttered. His eyes darted over to Zam, who had been quietly standing beside Deion throughout the entire exchange, and then back at the sandy grounds beneath him.

Deion caught the movement and looked over at his Alakazam. The pokemon would be his insurance policy as the kid was obviously afraid of him, for good reason too. He looked back at the young kid standing in front of him.

"I understand." Deion said to him, attempting a warm smile.

The kid looked up and returned the smile. Deion figured this was a best a time as any to try and make a new friend and started to walk closer to the boy.

"By the way, my name is Deion." He said stopping about a few arms lengths away from the boy and extending his gloved hand.

The boy cautiously walked forward and took his hand, giving it a firm shake.

"Zach." The boy said, now looking up at Deion. "My name is Zach."

The trio remained silent as they walked, still not entirely comfortable with each others presence. Deion couldn't help but frown as Zach lead them through the ruined interior of what used to be the towers reception area. Gone were the pristine white walls and marble floors. Only one of the multiple sculptures of Sudowoodo still remained standing and relatively undamaged.

Parts of the ceiling had collapsed, causing piles of broken concrete, metal and sand to be littered across the hall. They continued on, eventually stopping at a pair of worn double sliding doors which Deion immediately recognized as leading to the reception floor bar and restaurant. Zach slid the door open revealing a towering barricade of tables and chairs.

"Right in here." Zach said ushering them inside. "Just follow the path around to the back." He said again, stepping in and closing the door behind them.

Deion could see a dim light emanating for the back of the room, casting an eerie shadow that revealed the path through the barricade. He flashed a quick look at his Alakazam, still cloaked in his hood. The pokemon responded with a short nod indicating that there were no surprises waiting for them just out of sight.

"Something wrong?" The boy's quizzical voice came from behind them.

"No." Deion lied. "It's nothing."

He couldn't help feel apprehensive as he walked towards the break in the barricade, even though Zam had given him the all clear. He didn't know the kid all that well. For all he knew he could be walking into a trap, something that Zam's telepathy couldn't detect. Upon turning the corner Deion realized how foolish his train of thought had been. The room opened up into the familiar geometry of the restaurant but that was where the familiarity ended.

The walls were covered in bright decorations, mostly, he noticed, from the towers casino. The padded lobby benches had been relocated inside and pushed up against the back wall on opposite sides of the room, essentially creating two makeshift beds. The bar seemed to have been transformed into a cooking area as a campfire stove and multiple pots and plates covered its surface. In the center of the room was a single cluttered table, the lamp on its surface the only thing illuminating the room. Deion heard a 'wow' escape his lips as he continued to soak up the boy's living arrangements.

"You like it?" The boy's voice now more lively at Deion's expression.

"Yeah." Deion replied as he stepped into the room. "You do this all yourself?"

"Yeah…" The kid's voice started to trail off.

The boy quickly recomposed himself and walked over to the far right bed. Removing his rifle and setting it on the bed before turning back to Deion.

"You and," the boy paused, looking at Zam, "your friend, can sleep there." He said pointing at the far left bed.

Deion nodded and walked over to his assigned sleeping area. He dropped his pack on the bed, not really caring how it landed, before falling back on the bed himself, leaning back until he was laying against the wall. He closed his eyes, enjoying the weight lifted from his body. He reopened his eyes to find Zach staring at him.

It took him a moment to realize where exactly where the young boy's eyes were fixed. Deion looked down realizing with slight dismay that upon his sitting down his duster had opened revealing the entire contents of his belt. The boy wasn't so much focused on the gun however as he was on what lay just behind it. Deion quickly drew his duster closed and sat up. The kid's eyes were now locked on his, a look of intrigue now on his face.

"You're a trainer aren't you?" The boy asked, pressing his curiosity.

There was an awkward silence before Deion broke his gaze with Zach. He shifted uncomfortably at the question.

"Was a trainer." Deion finally responded. "Not much of a league anymore."

The silence continued. Deion now found himself staring at his pack, his former trainer pack. It had seen much use over the years. It was now so worn down now that he was surprised it had survived this long. He was interrupted mid thought by Zach.

"I was just asking because, well, I saw the pokeballs on your belt and…" The boy pressed on, sounding almost excited. "You must have had all sorts of interesting adventures. I was never had any pokemon of my own and… I always wondered what it was like."

Deion couldn't help but feel a smile creep up on him at the boys enthusiasm. Straightening himself out, he reached into his duster, retrieving a worn looking leather wallet. He opened it up, running his fingers over the plastic case that held his trainer card before throwing the whole thing over to Zach. The boy looked confused at first not sure what to make of the little leather wallet. As he began to flip through it his eyes lit up.

"Wow." It was all the boy seemed to manage at first as he was too busy furiously reading the contents of the wallets pages. "You've been all over the place…"

"Yeah I have." Deion said, beginning to reminisce about his past adventures. "Been traveling for years. But, I got my start right here, in this very tower."

Zach suddenly looked up at Deion. His face was full of almost child like wonder.

"I can tell you the story if you want." Deion continued, almost as if he was responding to the boys thoughts. He nodded, and looked intently at Deion.

"Well," Deion began after collecting his thoughts, "I got my start about twelve years ago, I was about nine years old then. I had heard that Realgam Tower was having a contest for aspiring young trainers under the age of twelve. They were giving out ten new born pokemon as prizes to the top ten finalists. So I signed up. It was going to be a pokemon related trivia contest so I spent weeks studying all I could." Deion paused, smiling at the memory. "Out of one hundred other kids, I placed eighth."

"What pokemon did you get?" Zach asked, still quite curious.

Deion couldn't help but smile even more. He stood up and turned towards Zam, who was quietly standing just behind him still fully hooded and cloaked.

"You're looking at him." He said still smiling.

The boys eyes widened as he realized he meant the still hooded and cloaked figure that had been silently standing right behind his guest. The pokemon slowly removed its hood, revealing its full features to the bewildered boy.

"I chose an Abra." Deion said looking back at Zach. "We've been inseparable ever since."

"He must be powerful." Zach said, eyes still locked on the Alakazam.

Deion chuckled.

"He is quite strong." Deion replied. "But he wasn't always. About two years later we were invited to participate in the Orre League junior trainer tournament here at the tower. Zam and I were on fire. We had been able to make it all the way up to the fourth round; all we need to do was beat some young kid from Johto to advance to the quarter finals. That kid had the best damn Ratatta I have ever seen. Zam fought long and hard but eventually it was just more than he could take. We lost that match, and that kid actually ended up winning the whole tournament."

Deion took a moment to remember before muttering 'Damn you Joey.' He looked back at Zach who was once again looking through his trainer wallet.

"Wow, you've been in a lot of competitions." Zach said, beginning to read the list out loud. "Phenac, Pyrite, Realgam Tower, Gateon…" He suddenly paused, doing a double take with his eyes "Orre Frontier League U class trainer, Mount Battle rank… seventy-six?" His eyes jerked up to meet Deion's. "You're in the top twenty-five of Mount Battle trainers?"

The kid's excitement was apparent now. It was almost as if he viewed Deion as some kind of celebrity. While it was true that holding a position over thirty was impressive, he never really thought of it that much. Even if it essentially meant he was the twenty-forth best trainer in Orre. The boy went back to reading Deion's list of achievements, eventually turning a page which warranted a look of confusion from him.

"What is this?" He asked turning the wallet so Deion could see.

Deion smiled as he saw what the boys confusion was directed at. It was a series of small crests and ribbons, each with different numbers on them.

"Ah…" Deion began, more memories starting to surface. "Those are from when I was invited to the Battle Frontier Open in Hoenn. I placed thirty-first overall in that tournament. Even went up against a Frontier Brain."

"You've been to Hoenn?" The boy said, almost shocked.

"I have indeed. It's quite a nice place. Take a look on the next page." He waited for Zach to turn the page before continuing on.

"You see those?" Deion motioned at the four small red metal pins on the page. "They symbolize the completion of a seven battle set from the Johto Battle Tower. The identical colour means they were a streak."

The boy, still interested in the contents of the wallet flipped to the next page. He looked quizzically at the folded piece of paper that rested inside of one the wallets protective sleeves. Deion could see him eyeing it and let out a small sigh.

"Go ahead, take it out." He encouraged the boy. "It's my greatest achievement."

Zach's eyes lit up at Deion's words. The boy carefully removed the piece of paper and unfolded it. His mouth nearly dropped to the floor as he read the opening line 'Certificate of Achievement from the Kanto Indigo Plateau Conference'. Deion noticed the boys astonishment and let out a low chuckle.

"Keep reading." Deion said with a huge smile on his face

The boys jaw dropped even further than it had already. He looked up at Deion with an expression of total awe.

"You placed fifty-second in the Indigo League Tournament?" Zach's voice exploded in the room causing Deion to almost burst out in laughter.

"I did." He replied, calming his laughter. "Out of two hundred and fifty-six trainers from across the region. The Orre Frontier League recommended me for the tournament and I was accepted. I don't think I had ever been as excited in my entire life."

Zach looked over the certificate once more before folding it and putting it back in the last page of the wallet. He looked back over at Deion, the awe still in his eyes.

"What are you doing back here?" The boy asked. "In Orre I mean."

A somber expression crossed Deion's face, quickly replacing the previous smile.

"I was coming back from a tour of the Sevii Islands. The plan was to relax and do some training before registering for this year's Realgam Tower Doubles Open." Deion paused, fighting back the memories of the nightmares. "Then this happened and I've been walking ever since." He said finally.

"Where are you going?" Zach asked him while tossing back his wallet. "There's not much left out here. Well there is Phenac City, but it's been pretty much des…."

The kid stopped mid sentence when he noticed his guest close his eyes, suddenly realizing exactly where he was headed. Deion proceeded to lie down, hiding his head behind his pack.

"Home." Zach could hear the trainers voice say. "I'm going home."


	4. Chapter 4

He left early the next morning. Sneaking out just as the sun began to peek over the eastern horizon. His dreams had once again been visited by nightmares, causing him to awaken several hours before he should have. Zam had insisted that he go back to sleep for at least a little while longer, but Deion, still thinking about what Zach had accidentally let slip the previous night, stubbornly disagreed. Even going as far as to return Zam in order to prevent an argument. This was something he had to do. He needed to see for himself, if only to confirm his fears.

Deion did feel a slight pang of guilt at not thanking or even telling Zach that he was leaving. The kid had been gracious enough to let them stay the night, and he didn't kill him in his sleep. That had to count for something at least. He pushed the thought out of his mind. Zach seemed like a good kid. A little jumpy, excitable and possibly too trusting, but a good kid. Who knew, maybe their paths would cross again.

It'd taken him three days, but finally Deion had arrived. The wall surrounding the city stood tall to greet him, well for the most part anyways. Deion could see that large chunks of it seemed to be missing in places and completely gone in others. As much as he hated it, it didn't surprise him. Every piece of civilization he had come across so far had been in the same crumbled state. Swallowing his doubts, Deion searched the wall for a crack large enough that he could get in.

The interior of the city looked no better. He spent the next hour walking the dead streets of his former home city. From what he could see it looked like nothing above two stories was still standing. Phenac had never really built anything above six stories due to the constant sandstorms that frequented this part of Orre, but not even seeing those felt odd to him. The more he explored the less he uncovered. Some parts of the city seemed to be just gone. Nothing but craters remained to remind him that there was once buildings there. The closer he got to the interior of the city, the more apparent it became that Phenac had been hit much worse than what he had seen at Port Gateon, or anywhere else for that matter.

Deion carefully navigated the city ruins, making his way out of the center and in to the residential areas. He still had an objective. He had to go home, if only to see if there was a home left to go back to. Unfortunately the particular part of the residential area that he has previously called home was as close to the city center as you could get. Upon turning onto his old street, Deion's heart nearly dropped from his chest. The area was covered in ash, black steaks covering what was left of some of the buildings. He walked up the street, counting the buildings as he went. They were mostly two story apartment buildings, separated every two homes by an alley leading to the rear.

Eventually Deion finally reached his number. As he stood in front of his former family home, any last little lingering feelings of hope finally faded from his mind. Ever since he entered Phenac he had tried to trick himself into hope that maybe it was still there, maybe they were still there. Looking at the collapsed and burnt husk of the building in front of him, he realized how stupid he had been. The roof seemed to have caved in and the charred remains of the walls told him that the entire block must have been set on fire. Regardless he tried looking for an entrance without success. The roof had brought down the second floor with it, crushing everything below it in one fell swoop.

Anything that might have survived had probably been burnt up in the fire anyways he figured. '_Anything or anyone' _Deion's mind was quick to remind him. He tried to push the thought away but it just kept coming back, almost as if it were taunting him. He could hear it repeat over and over in his head _'Your family is dead Deion. All dead. Every single one of them.'_ Deion could feel his eyes start to tear up. He knew it was true. No one could have survived, and it was foolish to think otherwise. He had been lucky. He had survived and managed to get this far through pure chance. And from what he had already seen, not a lot of others had had the same fortune.

Starting to feel slightly uneasy, Deion sat down. His watery eyes were now producing a steady stream of tears that were accumulating in the bottoms of his goggles. His hands trembled as he removed them, gripping them tightly as they came off his face. Even through all this, something in the back of his mind was telling him that he needed to stop crying because he couldn't afford the loss of water. However try as he might he couldn't. His mind wouldn't stop hounding him. It kept telling him that he was alone and was going to die alone and that there was nothing he could do to change that.

Deion felt his head fall into his hands, resting it there as the streams of tears continued to leak from his eyes. Minutes passed as he continued to sit there, unable to gather the strength or the will to stop himself. Every time he thought he might be able to break free. his mind would throw another thought at him, causing the whole cycle to start again. It must have been a sad sight to see. A young man bawling his eyes out sitting outside of the scorched ruins of his former home. Deion was kind of glad there was no one left to see it.

His pistol had now found itself removed from his belt and was instead being firmly held in his hand. Twice now had he raised the barrel to meet with the side of his head and twice had he failed to work up the courage to pull the trigger. '_What's wrong?_' His mind continued to taunt, '_Not man enough to squeeze?' _Deion could feel his grip tighten as he prepared to raise the pistol for a third time. '_Come on you pussy, do it._' His mind jeered as he slowly brought the gun up to the side of his head. He could feel his hand begin to tremble as he rested the metal barrel against his temple.

'_What are you waiting for? Do it._' The thoughts were starting to get louder. He could feel his finger start to tighten against the trigger, slowly starting to squeeze it. His eyes closed as he attempted to work up the courage to pull the rest of the way. '_DO IT!_' Deion's mind shouted at him. He could feel himself let out a defiant yell before throwing his pistol, hearing it clatter to the ground a short distance ahead of him.. Deion began to cry a little harder. He couldn't do it, he just couldn't muster the will to kill himself. He wanted to so bad, but something was stopping him.

Deion would have to figure out what it was later however as a slight crunching sound behind one of the alley's caught his attention. His mood had now completely changed, mindset quickly shifting from suicidal to one of survival. Before he had realized it he was standing up and propping himself up against the side of a fallen concrete piece of his building. His family may have been gone, he thought, but that didn't mean he was alone. The crunching noise continued to get louder and closer. Something was coming his way.

Deion decided to quickly peer over his piece of makeshift cover. What he saw caused him to retract his head almost as fast as he put it up. Daring one more look, he peered over again. Standing not five meters away was what Deion could only guess was a Growlithe. Although not one that he had ever seen. This one had dark black fur and even darker eyes. It looked almost mutated. As if the evolution had gone wrong or it was evolving, or devolving, into something else. And by the look of the long and mangled fangs and claws, something not very friendly and quite obviously feral.

Deion had seen this before. After the blast in Port Gateon, Deion had noticed that most Pokemon that had been exposed to it started to become sick with some kind of infection. Some just up and died from the exposure, but most had started to almost mutate, abet slowly. Pokemon with fur or hair started to loose it in clumps. Skin pigments started to change to a flat grey/black. Teeth and claws began to grow longer and sharper and any fur or hair that did grow back did so much coarser and without colour.

Deion had originally thought that it may have been some kind of radiation, but it hadn't effected him in the way he expected radiation to. In fact it didn't actually seem to effect humans at all. However it did effect Pokemon, and one of those Pokemon was still bearing down on his location, whether it knew it or not. Deion retracted his head once more. His first instinct was to flee, and do so as quietly as possible. As calmly and as quickly as he could he surveyed his surroundings for an acceptable exit. He hadn't realized until just then how terribly exposed he was.

Every direction except into the adjoining alley was completely open. Deion didn't like it, but if he wanted to get out unseen, the alley probably was his best bet. He had only taken a few steps towards his objective when he was greeted by the sight of a second Growlithe slowly making its way out of the very alley he was headed for. Deion froze. It hadn't seen him yet, although something had seemed to have drawn its curiosity as it was sniffing heavily at the ground. Cautiously, Deion began to retrace his steps, slowly moving backwards as he watched a third, fourth and then a fifth Growlithe emerge from the alley.

Deion was silently panicking. Eventually the pack would see him and he very much doubted they would just let him leave. He needed to hide. He remembered seeing a hole in the building that looked like it would fit him, all he needed to do was... Deion suddenly stopped when he felt his heel step onto something on the ground. Looking down he saw the worn grip of his pistol. He had almost forgotten about tossing it in a fit of emotion earlier. Deion was about half way bent over when he heard a low growl. Looking up he saw the last Growlithe in the pack staring directly at him, body poised and ready to attack.

He could feel his stomach drop as the other Growlithe turned to join the first in a sea of low growls. Quickly he grabbed the pistol up and pointed it at the lead Growlithe. A tense few seconds passed as each party just stared at the other. It wasn't until the Growlithe that had previously been behind him let out a bark that Deion figured it was time for action. He squeezed the trigger, preparing himself for the bang and recoil that was to follow. It never came however. He squeezed the trigger again, a little more frantically this time, to the same effect. '_Shit._' Was all Deion was able to think. What was wrong with his pistol? It couldn't be broken, didn't throw it that hard... or had he? '_Shit shit shit!_' Deion thought again has the lead Growlithe started to slowly walk towards him. It was loaded and it hadn't jammed before so why wasn't it working now?

"Oh." Deion said aloud as he rotated his hand to take a closer look at the side of his pistol, now feeling like a complete moron. "Safety's on."

Quickly remedying the situation, Deion turned his attention back to the closing Growlithe, firing off two quick shots. Both of which hit the advancing Pokemon in the head, causing it to drop mid stride. Their prey's new found power seemed to stall the Growlithe momentarily, but it wasn't long before Deion found a fire ball streaking towards him. Ducking and breaking into a sprint for the street Deion was able to evade the fire attack. His plan now was relatively simple; get the fuck out of there, run like hell and try to lose them in the alleys across the street. He was almost across the street by the time he felt the second fire ball narrowly miss him.

Daring a look back Deion could see that the other four Growlithe were just now starting to chase after him. They weren't as fast as he was expecting, the mutation must have done something to their legs. Nevertheless they were still faster than he was, and gaining quickly. Sliding around the side of the adjacent ally, Deion was somewhat pleased to see that the back alleys had a healthy layer of debris cluttering them. Hopefully it would be enough to slow down his pursuers. He darted down the alley, dodging and jumping over fallen pieces of concrete and metal. Occasionally looking behind him and firing off a shot or two at the stumbling Growlithe.

At least one of his shots must have connected as one of the Pokemon had slowed to a limp and was quickly falling behind the other three. The debris seemed to also be helping in slowing them down, although they still seemed to be gaining more and more each time he looked. The path seemed to becoming rougher too, more and more broken concrete littered his way. Just ahead of him he could see a large blockage where a building had fallen onto the alley. He needed to find a way out lest he be trapped with his back against the wall with a couple of hungry and pissed off Growlithe staring him down.

A quick survey revealed a break in the alley's wall leading to what looked like a catwalk to another street. The path was relatively clear to the break in the wall so Deion started to slow so he could make the turn. One of the Growlithe decided to take advantage of this, sprinting ahead of the pack and jumping at its fleeing target. Deion wasn't sure what had hit him until he was on the ground staring directly at the set of razor sharp teeth that had now imbedded themselves in his left arm. The Growlithe's grip was solid, piercing straight through his duster and into his forearm.

Deion let out a shout of pain as the Pokemon was now attempting to pull him backwards towards its allies who were now just arriving. Deion tried to fight back, but the Pokemon's powerful bite caused him to scream in pain at any attempt to pull his arm back. Not willing to give in however, he pulled out his free arm, gun in hand, and pressed it to the Growlithe's head. Without hesitating he pulled the trigger. The Pokemon let out a small yelp before going limp. Quickly prying his arm from the dead creature's mouth he focused his attention on the last two Growlithe.

The death of their comrade seemed to have made them hesitate, a temporary advantage that Deion was all to happy to exploit. He fired two rounds into the nearest one, killing it before either had time to react. He turned his attention to the last Growlithe.

"You want some too?" Deion yelled at the Pokemon, adjusting his aim to meet it head on.

The Pokemon continued to growl at him, but instead of attacking it started to slowly back up. Eventually it turned and ran down the alley, retreating the same way it had came.

"That's right you better run!" Deion shouted at the fleeing Pokemon.

Deion decided it would be a good idea not to wait and see if it came back with more friends. Carefully picking himself back up he continued to jog down the catwalk. The flat out sprint had taken quite a bit out of him, but the cramps and exhaustion was nothing compared to the now shooting and burning pain coming from his left arm. He needed to get somewhere where he could hide and assess the damage. After a few minutes of labored half-jogging he found what looked like an entrance to the city's underground.

The underground was mainly used by the city for maintenance on the water pipes that lead from the massive reservoir that laid just under Phenac. He had been down there a few times in his youth. It was quite a popular place for young children to play despite the adults telling them how dangerous it was. Stories told of the Terror that lived in the deep of the reservoir. And that it would steal away disobedient children who wouldn't listen to their parents.

None of it was true of course, at least Deion was pretty sure it wasn't. He had heard a news story of some city workers who found a nest of Totodile in the sewers once, but that was a long time ago. Regardless, Deion didn't particularly care at that moment. He needed to get somewhere that wasn't out in the open, somewhere safe and the reservoir seemed like a safe as place as any.

The service door opened fairly easily, much to his surprise. The hall in front of him was dark, the only light coming from the crack in the door he had just opened. From what Deion could tell the hall seemed relatively untouched. He had been worried about the possibility of the ceiling have collapsed, but as far as he could tell with his limited range of sight, that didn't seem to be the case. Retrieving his flashlight from one of his dusters internal pockets, he proceeded to use it's light to survey farther down the pitch black descending hallway.

'_So far so good_' Deion thought to himself. After closing the door behind him to ensure that he couldn't be followed, he began to cautiously make his way down the darkened hallway. The underground was dead silent, the only noise coming from Deion's increasingly labored breaths. His arm had since stopped throbbing in pain and was now instead simply numb. He continued to walk down the hallway for several more minutes, all the while fighting to keep his focus.

His head had started to become plagued with bouts of dizziness, probably thanks to his exhaustion or blood loss or both, making it increasingly difficult to completely concentrate on the path in front of him. It wasn't much father to the reservoir though. Deion was sure of it. Eventually his determination was rewarded when the hallway he had been following opened up into the large room that housed the city's water reservoir. Relieved that he had finally made it to his objective he proceeded to unsling his pack, setting it against one of the reservoirs walls nearly falling over in the process.

Propping himself up against the same wall, Deion began to look over his arm with the flashlight. His duster's sleeve was soaked through with blood causing the light brown cloth to turn dark. His hand was also stained with red streaks, showing where his blood had rolled down his arm and off the tips of his fingers. By the looks of things the Growlithe had done some serious damage, but there was only one way to find out just how bad it really was.

Holding the flashlight in his teeth, Deion began to slowly pull away the sleeve of his duster. Small spikes of pain arced through his arm as the cloth stubbornly detached itself from his open wound. Deion winced at the sight. His arm was a mess. A medley of dark red, black, blue and jagged holes, most of which were still oozing. It was enough to make him feel extremely uneasy, although that could have just been the blood loss. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Deion quickly began to search his pack for anything that might help, eventually retrieving a bottle of extra strength pain killers that he had always kept for headaches during his travels.

Without hesitating Deion popped a few pills in his mouth, not actually bothering to count how many he took. Taking a quick swig from his canteen to wash down the pills, he then began to pour the rest of the containers contents over his arm. The water stung as it flowed over his arm, causing Deion to let out a yelp of pain that echoed throughout the underground room. He could feel himself continue to wince in pain as the luke warm water slowly finished running off his arm, letting the canteen clatter to the floor once the stream had ended. He allowed himself a brief reprieve from the pain before he was once again in his pack, roughly searching for the next item he needed.

Deion could feel himself starting to get lightheaded, the disorientation continuing to make his focus on the task at hand difficult. At one point he had even thought he had caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye out in the dark of the reservoir. When a quick look turned up nothing he chalked it up to nothing more than a shadow cast from his flashlight playing tricks on his hazy and fatigued mind. It wasn't until he had heard what sounded like a splash that Deion stopped his frantic search through his pack and focused his dwindling focus on the blackness of the reservoir.

From his sitting position propped up against the wall of the underground room, he began to slowly sweep his flashlights beam from one end of the reservoir to the other. In his haste to tend to his arm, Deion hadn't thought to do a proper search of the area. He was starting to regret that now. The water appeared to have small ripples spread out in a large pattern that seemed to be emanating from somewhere close to the middle. Slowly he followed the ripples with his light, watching as they got progressively smaller and closer together.

Eventually his light came across the source of the ripples, a very large dark black looking shell with what looked like a red gem flanked by two much larger ones on each side. The object looked extremely familiar to Deion, he knew what it was. He had seen them before on his travels, if only he could focus. He fought with his mind to remember. If this was any other circumstance he would have been able to come up with the name in no time flat. And then it clicked, much to Deion's horror. The three red gems, the dark shell. He was staring at the floating top of a Tentacruel.

'_You have got to be shitting me._' Was the only thing Deion was able to think. At least it didn't seem to be awake, or just hadn't noticed him yet. Slowly Deion began to lower his flashlight. This area was now suddenly not as safe as he thought it had been. He needed to make a speedy but silent exit, not wanting to wake up the sleeping behemoth if it was in fact sleeping. Deion had been able to get half way to a standing position before his legs gave out. Causing him to drop his flashlight and land straight on his injured arm. The shock of the impact caused him to let out a short cry of pain. His eyes teared up as he attempted to grit his teeth at the pain. He was simply too weak to move.

His energy had been slowly draining for the past hour and he was now running on nothing but fumes. He attempted to stand up again but with even less success this time, never actually making it off the floor. Nevertheless he knew needed to leave, and soon. Gathering his strength for one last try, he attempted to stand for a third time. This time however he froze when he heard the sound of bubbling and splashing water off to his side. Redirecting his energy to turn to his side he regarded much to his horror his flashlight had fell and was pointing directly at the floating Tentacruel, which now appeared to be waking up.

Deion could feel his breath stop as he watched the large creatures black and red eyes shoot open. It began to splash violently, the flashlight beam obviously irritating it. He could see the beasts eyes darting around the room for the source of its rude awakening, eventually locking gazes with Deion. The water around it began to bubble furiously as the Tentacruel raised its tentacles out of the water into what Deion could only assume was an attack position. The Tentacruel appeared to be effected by the Pokemon mutation as well, sporting what looked like razor sharp claws at the ends of its tentacles as well as an extra beak under the Pokemon's hardened shell.

Not willing to waste another second, Deion shot his hand into his duster and grabbed the first pokeball he could find, quickly releasing it's contents. Materializing a split second later was the familiar outline of his fourth slotted Pokemon floating just next his head, Haunter. The Haunter was at first overjoyed to see its trainer, brandishing a large warm smile. That smile quickly faded to concern as the Pokemon began to look over its trainer's crippled state. The concern soon turned to anger as it finally turned around to see the oozing back body of the looming Tentacruel. Mustering what little strength he had left, Deion managed to prop himself back up against the reservoir's walls. Satisfied with his position he turned his attention to the two Pokemon. Both sides were staring each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Haunter! Shadow Ball!" Deion ordered, breaking the stalemate.

The ghost-type acknowledged the command by letting loose a shadowy ball of energy which quickly connected with its target. The Tentacruel reeled at the hit, flailing and splashing its tentacles in the water in an attempt to regain balance. It found it a moment later and returned the favour of the attack by swinging its tentacles at Haunter.

"Haunter! Go transparent and evade then follow up with Dark Pulse!" Deion quickly ordered.

His Haunter carried out his command to the letter, phasing itself so the Tentacruel had a harder time seeing where it was in the dark room. Using its foes temporary confusion Deion's Haunter pushed its own attack, releasing a dark shock wave seemingly from nowhere. The attack must have had some effect as the Tentacruel seemed to flinch at the hit, retracting its flailing tentacles to protect itself. This was just the opening Deion was looking for. Haunter's attacks weren't as effective as they could have been, but they did make for a good distraction. Not wasting time, Deion grabbed another pokeball from his belt. This time knowing full well which one he was choosing. No more than a split second later his Alakazam had materialized and was standing directly in front of him, his angular features silhouetted in the dark room.

"Zam, we need some help here!" Deion said quickly, catching his friends attention.

'_You are injured. Why did you not call on me earlier?_' The Alakazam's concerned voice echoed though Deion's mind.

"Not now Zam." Deion said, focusing his attention back to the Tentacruel which was in the process of re-extending its tentacles in preparation for another attack.

'_If you had simply heeded my advice and not insisted on this venture, you would have most likely not have been in this position right now._' Zam's voice said in almost a mocking tone in Deion's mind.

"Look, are you going to help or not?" Deion said, slightly annoyed at his Pokemon's way of saying 'I told you so', regardless if it was true or not.

'_Just give the word._' The Alakazam's voice replied.

Deion took a moment to assess the situation. The Tentacruel had finally fully recovered from his Haunters Dark Pulse and was poised for another attack. It seemed to be looking over the newly arrived Alakazam as well, apparently unsure which intruder to target first.

"Zam, I need you to work with Haunter to take that thing down." Deion said, pointing at the mutated Tentacruel.

As his Alakazam turned to face what the trainer was pointing at, Deion felt what he could only guess was pang of curiosity from Zam.

'_How did it get down here?_' Deion could hear that same curious feeling say.

"Hell if I know." Deion replied, not exactly caring at that moment how the large creature made it into the closed off water basin of the reservoir. "Just... make it go away!"

Almost if on cue, the Tentacruel finally selected its target. Deciding to take another swing at Haunter. Using the same method that worked before, Haunter became transparent and quickly avoided the incoming attack. Annoyed that its attack hadn't succeeded once again, the mutated Pokemon switched its focus to the Alakazam, sending two razor sharp tentacles directly towards the psychic-type. The Alakazam, working off the simple order of 'make it go away', extended one of its arms, using its psychic abilities to catch the incoming attack rather than evade it. Surprised by its tentacles being stopped mid flight, the water Pokemon began to shoot the rest of its razor sharp arsenal at Deion's Alakazam. Raising his other arm, Zam proceeded to catch the rest of the Tentacruels tentacles, effectively immobilizing it. Seeing the opening his Pokemon had given him, Deion switched his attention to his remaining Pokemon.

"Haunter!" Deion shouted, his voice becoming slightly raspy, "Hit it with Hypnosis!"

Accepting the order with what Deion could only assume was a grin, his Haunter shot forward a pulse of psychic energy, hitting the immobilized Tentacruel directly in the face. It took a moment, but before long the giant Pokemon's eyes started to droop and then close. Taking advantage of his opponents unconscious state, Zam extended his psychic field, quickly encompassing the Tentacruel in his telekinetic control. Deion allowed himself a moment of relief, they might have had the advantage, but the battle wasn't over yet. The mutant Tentacruel could still pose a massive danger if it wasn't dealt with soon. Thinking quickly, Deion once again switched his focus to is Haunter.

"Haunter! Use Dream Eater!" Deion ordered, hoping that the attack would be enough to weaken the creature for a final blow.

His Haunter complied, shooting another psychic pulse at the sleeping Tentacruel. The attack must have been successful as the pule returned to Haunter followed moments later by what looked like spasms of some kind from the Tentacruel. Deion could see his Haunter clapping while wearing a big grin on its face, obviously quite pleased at the results of the attack.

"Zam," Deion said turning his attention back to his psychic friend, "Finish it off with Psycho Cut!"

Giving Deion telepathic ping of acknowledgment, the Alakazam proceeded to seemingly effortlessly lift the giant tentacle Pokemon out of the water, exposing its soft underbelly. Deion could see Zam's psychic aura intensify as he gathered enough energy to propel himself at the Tentacruel. The Alakazam jumped at the mutant jellyfish, forming a blade of psychic energy around his right arm as he did so. Right before he reached his target, the Alakazam let the telekinetic field around the Tetacruel to drop. Deion watched the water Pokemon's eyes shoot open at the sudden feeling of falling, a split second before his Alakazam released his psychic blade.

The attack ripped through the defenseless Pokemon's exposed underbelly, effectively cutting the flailing giant in half with explosive force. The Tentacruel let out what Deion could only assume was a cry of pain which was cut short as the massive Pokemon crashed into the water below. It flailed around for a while, causing its oozing black blood to fly all over the underground room. In an attempt to shield himself, Deion curled up as best as he could and used his one good arm to block the incoming black liquid. He achieved partial success, deflecting the majority of the Tentacruels internal fluids away from his face and core body.

It wasn't however until a moment later that he realized that he had not been as successful as he thought he had been. Directly covering his wound was a warm and wet sensation. Daring a look Deion saw that a decent amount of the Tentacruels black blood had landed directly on his arm and was slowly seeping into his open wound. It wasn't long before a burning sensation began to creep up his arm. He started to have trouble breathing, his mind became even more clouded than before. In a desperate attempt to wash his arm, Deion grabbed his canteen only to realize that he had already expended its contents in an earlier attempt to clean his wound.

Then it hit him, probably the worst pain he had felt in his entire life. He began to scream, almost involuntarily as the mutated Pokemon's blood mixed with his own. Before he knew it he was laying completely on the reservoirs hard concrete floor, convulsing uncontrollably. The last thing Deion consciously remembered was an attempt to call to Zam for help before his world went black.


End file.
